Political Divisions Threaten Kerry-Brokered Agreement in Afghanistan

A sniffer dog in Herat on Thursday checked ballot boxes to be flown to Kabul as part of Afghanistan’s audit of last month’s presidential runoff election.

Ben Sheppard / Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

By CARLOTTA GALL

July 25, 2014

KABUL, Afghanistan — The political agreement between Afghanistan’s two rival presidential candidates brokered by Secretary of State John Kerry two weeks ago appeared in trouble on Friday as serious differences emerged between the camps.

The two candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, failed to reach agreement Friday on the technical details of the audit of the presidential runoff election held last month, although negotiations were continuing. And the deal to form a national unity government, whoever is declared the winner of the election, has met with resistance.

The idea of a unity government, long supported by Afghanistan’s minority groups, was introduced by Mr. Kerry as anger was growing among Mr. Abdullah’s supporters at perceived electoral fraud and as dangerous ethnic and regional divisions threatened to shatter Afghanistan’s fragile democratic process.

“The opposite party has dragged their feet since the day of agreement,” Mr. Mohaqeq told a small group of journalists invited to his home. “They have disagreed on several occasions with the auditing process, stepped out of the process a few times, and created a rumpus as well. After the discussion with their own team members, they have decided not to sign the technical and political agreements.”

“If they do not sign the agreement,” he said, “I think they will lead the process to a deadlock, and we might once again observe a crisis.”

Asked if the breakdown would lead to violence, he said he prayed not.

A spokesman for the Ghani campaign, Faizullah Zaki, denied that his side was rejecting the agreements. Mr. Zaki told journalists that his camp was still committed to the political agreement and was waiting for the technical proposal from the Independent Election Commission.

“We are not delaying anything,” he said. “Reaching an agreement on such a crucial issue like the formation of a national government, which has never had a place in our political system in the past, requires a lot of negotiation. And finding answers to a series of questions again requires time.”

But fundamental differences were emerging between the two camps over forming a national unity government.

In a speech Friday, Ahmad Zia Massoud, a former vice president who joined Mr. Ghani’s campaign before the runoff election, rejected the political framework as agreed to with Mr. Kerry. Under the agreement, whoever wins the election becomes president and creates, by decree, a new post of chief executive or prime minister, with the nominee chosen by the losing candidate. The division of powers has yet to be worked out.

Mr. Massoud said any future government should be evenly balanced between Afghanistan’s ethnic groups, but he also advocated a winner-takes-all election. “We have to understand that a government of a national unity doesn’t mean share of the power in the government,” he said. “The team who wins formulates the government, and the loser basically forms a strong opposition.”

Should Mr. Ghani lose the election, no one from his team would take part in any power sharing, Mr. Massoud said, but would take up an opposition role until the next round of elections. Mr. Zaki, the Ghani spokesman, said that Mr. Massoud was expressing his opinion, yet other influential supporters of Mr. Ghani have also rejected the prospect of sharing power with their opponents.

Mr. Ghani, in an interview this week, confirmed his commitment to the political agreement for a president and chief executive or prime minister from each camp. “Would you rather have a divided society or a government that can internally debate?” he asked.

Mr. Zaki said that the Ghani team would wait for the results of the election audit before working out further details of the national unity government.

It is this refusal to confirm the parameters of the political deal that has caused suspicion among Mr. Abdullah’s supporters and brought renewed warnings of public unrest.

“Our supporters agree with any decision we make, and they will support us,” Mr. Mohaqeq, the running mate, said. “But if the public finds out that the other side is not supportive of the agreements, and they are just trying to back up their fraudulent votes, then the public will surge forward onto the scene.”